A: While there was a financial component to the Saints' decision ÃÂ they saved a reported $2 million bonus by cutting the veteran defensive end when they did ÃÂ- the reigning Super Bowl champs aren't stupid. If they thought McCray could still be "dominant," as you say, they would have paid him the money in year three of a five-year, $20 million deal. However, McCray had just 1.5 sacks in 16 games last year and with the addition of Alex Brown, his fellow ex-Florida Gator, was deemed expendable. Doubt the Dolphins would be interested with all the depth they have along their defensive line. Besides, McCray comes from a 4-3 with the Saints.

Q: Will Jason Allen get cut this season? A. Henry, Milwaukee.

A: As mentioned in a recent blog on Allen and his contributions on special teams, I believe he's in the right place to hang on through the end of his six-year rookie contract. Nobody values special teams more highly than the Dolphins, and Allen is excellent as a "core-four" guy.

Q: Nick Saban finally apologizes. Wow, because of his lack of integrity during that time I will always hope and root for the team that he coaches to not just lose but to lose by more than 50 in every game he coaches! It's nice he apologized and we as fans, thanks to the Trifecta, can forgive him, but we will always have a part in our hearts that want his teams to get demolished! James, Balad, Iraq.

A: I'm sure you're not alone. Trouble is, Saban is too good a college coach to lose very often, much less by wide margins, especially now that he has things rolling against at Alabama. Maddening, isn't it?

Q: I want to know why, in American sports like the NBA and the NFL, the league champion is proclaimed WORLD CHAMPION??? ThatÃÂÃ Â½s not true, and the facts are that in any World Cup, the American teams do not win every time. For example in basketball. USA team won titles, but not all of them. And in American football (football is football, not soccer), USA is the only country along with Canada that play it, so how can you be world champions without competing against other countries? Brian, Argentina.

A: Hey Brian, don't forget baseball, where the World Series winner parades around as "world champion" despite the fact they play pretty good pro ball in Japan as well (see both World Baseball Classics). I hear ya, man. Just don't expect it to change anytime soon. It's all about marketing. If some ad wizard thought the NFL could sell T-shirts proclaiming the Saints as "Interplanetary Champs," you'd better believe they'd be on the rack at your neighborhood sporting goods store tomorrow. Oh, and look out for Germany next Saturday in the World Cup quarterfinals. After taking apart England today, the youthful Germans appear to have what it takes to send the Albiceleste (and Maradona) home a couple rounds too early.

June 17

Q: With Logan Mankins and Nick Mangold both wanting out of their teams, do we have the cap room for another big salary player if any of them were to be released? Do you think it's possible to get one of the the four Jets that are upset with their contracts (Harris, Ferguson, Mangold, and dare I say Revis)? I doubt they have the cap room to give all those players the contracts they want. What's your take on it? Eric Mix, Hilton Head Island.

A: Don't think the Dolphins are looking to add another big-ticket offensive lineman. They were disappointed in Justin Smiley's inability to stay healthy after giving him the big bucks, and center Jake Grove finds himself in an offseason battle with journeyman Joe Berger for the starting job. Plus, you see the way they're reacting to O.J. Atogwe's presence on the free-agent market. I would be surprised if the Dolphins made any more splashy additions between now and the start of training camp. As for Darrelle Revis, it appears he and Rex Ryan have talked things out and Revis won't be staging anymore OTA sit-down strikes. (How goofy was that?)

Q: Is the Miami Dolphins stadium being upgraded right now? If so who is paying the bill, the taxpayers in southern Florida or Miami? Jerry Pocklington, Sunland, Calif.

A: Any upgrades to Sun Life Stadium continue to be funded by Dolphins ownership. The Super Bowl Host Committee made some noise earlier this year about getting publicly funded improvements in order to attract that event more frequently in the future, but in light of the NFL's decision to put the big bowl in a domeless stadium in northern New Jersey, you have to wonder what's the worry about a little rain?